[mrrangerman]

Manchunian

OK, then you're like me! Why have you burned programs on a CD? In Linux (especially with Debian distros) it is rarely necessary to do this. Almost everything is available on the Internet - this is where apt-get comes in.

See quote:

JasenTDavis
Oh, so that's what I've been doing wrong. My linux computer doesn't have Internet access yet, so I've been installing (or trying to install) programs from the cd's I downloaded, or from a flash drive.

Jasen

If your system doesn't have internet access yet, you can download the complete cd set from some place that will let you. (This will take a long time though)
Or you can go to the Debian site and download just the packages you want, if your using Debian stable "Etch" grab the .deb package from the stable repository. I wouldn't be worried about using dpkg as Debian has tested the packages.

To learn more about dpkg look at the man pages on it, open a terminal and type man dpkg if your unsure about the man pages type man man. Take a look at man apt-get also.

[feminaexlux]

I think this is going to help, I just found it through the debian manual :P

2.4 Adding a CD-ROM to the sources.list file

If you'd rather use your CD-ROM for installing packages or updating your system automatically with APT, you can put it in your sources.list. To do so, you can use the apt-cdrom program like this:

     # apt-cdrom add

with the Debian CD-ROM in the drive. It will mount the CD-ROM, and if it's a valid Debian CD it will look for package information on the disk. If your CD-ROM configuration is a little unusual, you can also use the following options:

     -h           - program help
     -d directory - CD-ROM mount point
     -r           - Rename a recognized CD-ROM
     -m           - No mounting
     -f           - Fast mode, don't check package files
     -a           - Thorough scan mode

For example:

     # apt-cdrom -d /home/kov/mycdrom add

You can also identify a CD-ROM, without adding it to your list:

     # apt-cdrom ident

Note that this program only works if your CD-ROM is properly configured in your system's /etc/fstab.

After that you can probably install anything on the CDs you downloaded.

To add sources, though, you probably need to do "su" (super user) in the command line (then type in the root password), and then run "apt-cdrom add" to add the CD to your sources.list. To exit out of SU mode, type in "exit" and you're back to your regular user.

[JasenTDavis]

Thank you. I'm going to try that!

I am still trying to figure out how to install programs I already have on the desktop. That is, I'm looking right at the programs...I moved them onto the desktop from a flashdrive.

I really appreciate the help, guys. I know that new people can be a pain. I've dealt with plenty of id10t errors myself. LOL!

[feminaexlux]

For packages on your desktop I believe you're going to have to do

su
dpkg -i /path/to/deb/package.deb

I believe it will tell you if you have all the dependencies installed or not.

And if you don't have the dependencies, I think it will tell you that too!

[mrrangerman]

It would help if you post what kind of programs you are trying to install. Do they end with a .bz or .bz2 Your not trying to install .exe windows programs are you?

[JasenTDavis]

Nope, the program is a folder marked abiword-2.4.6. It's a linux program for word processing. It's not an .exe program. It's a folder, and inside are more folders. It doesn't end with a .deb.

I tried that command, but all I got was "cannot access archive: No such file or directory, Errors were encountered while processing."

So, I don't know how to install it. However, I have figured out how to use the Synaptic Package Manager in the Administration section.

I have a copy of Enlightenment that is doing the same thing. It's in a folder, and I have no idea how to install it.

Can anyone recommend a good office suite that I can download, put on a flash drive, and then install into my Debian computer? Just tell me where to go and how to do it, and I will try to install it.

But right now I have a lot of folders that are just sitting there. It's a shame that Debian doesn't come with an office suite.

Let me know what to do! I appreciate the help!

[feminaexlux]

Hmm, that sounds like permission errors to me, if you copied the folders off of the CD onto the harddrive or flash drive. It means that Debian thinks you don't "own" the files, not letting you have access. I could be totally off base, though.

*edit* Oh, hah, I read what you wrote again. dpkg -i doesn't work on folders, sadly, just straight up deb files, if you can find any in your folders.

I'm actually going to recommend going back to the CDs, which I hope you've added to your /etc/apt/sources.list file through apt-cdrom add. It looks like the abiword program would be in the tenth CD of the Etch set, if you downloaded that... which I'm not sure you would do... There is, however, Openoffice.org's office suite, which is pretty amazing. I think all of Openoffice is in the first three CDs.

I'm recommending doing it the CD way because if you really wanted to, you could download the *.deb packages individually (through packages.debian.org), but that means downloading ALL of the dependencies, and the dependencies' dependencies(!), and that would take a lot of time and a lot of searching I'd rather not let anyone have to do. I'm hoping the CDs are smart enough to include dependencies, I'm pretty sure they will.

Insert the first CD, open up synaptic if you have it installed (inserting in the CD might automatically ask if you want to open up synaptic, at least it did for me in Ubuntu), and check off openoffice. It will automatically check off all the files openoffice needs along with the program. You might get something saying you need to switch CDs.

If you don't have synaptic, I think you can still do it through apt-get or aptitude.

It might be something along the lines of:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install openoffice.org

or

su (type in root password)
apt-get update
apt-get openoffice.org
exit

By the way, how deep have you looked into the folders? If you want to look up which program belongs on which CD, here's a neat search tool: Downloading Debian CD images with jigdo.

[JasenTDavis]

Hey, that worked!

Another kind Linux guru taught me how to add cd's to my list, and once I used that command I was prompted to feed my Debian cd's into the computer until it was done.

Now I have office programs!

I'm reading an immense online .pdf for Debian and Linux right now, and I'm currently ordering Debian for Dummies.

My plan now is to install Kaffeine and some pretty GUI like Enlightenment.

The real fun begins when I buy a Linux-friendly ethernet card and get the computer on the internet.

Thanks, feminaexlux!

[feminaexlux]

Glad that worked for you Hope you have fun with your more complete Debian system!

[alfmarius]

Welcome to the club mate I find most things about linux is really out there somewhere. As time goes, one learns quickly how to search things and find answers through the web. When one just cant find an answer, turn to forums like this one, and for sure an enlightenment will happen.

A piece of advice! When you wonder upon something, try to be super duper incredible descriptive in your explanation of the sceneario/problem. The more detailed you are, the greater chanse someone knows how to help you.

..but the best part is...most of the times you end up finding the answer yourself, because all the research that goes into writing a proper problem description triggers events in your head and the system, that unravels the solution

alf